Fluid-pressure regulator



Patented Nov. 6, 1923 rES P a es JOHN-W. LORIMER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ATLAS IMPERIAL EN- GINE COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

FLUID-PRESSURE REGULATOR.

Application filed February 16, 1922. Serial No. 536,951.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. LORIMER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have made a new and useful invention-to wit, Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates particularly to an improved apparatus for regulating and maintaining a constant pressure on the fuel injection lines of internal combustion engines of the Diesel type.

An object of this invention is to provide a high pressure fluid regulator which may be used in conjunction with an apparatus for injecting fluid fuel into an internal combustion engine at uniform and constant pressure or pressures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fluid pressure regulator wherein predetermined degrees of pressure may be obtained at will. w

A still further object consists in providing a pressure regulator that will be superior in point of simplicity, design, assembly and inexpensiveness of construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear as this description progresses.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention is illustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that in and by the claims following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

In the accompanying one sheet of drawmgs:

The figure represents a vertical section through a pressure regulator constructed in accordance with my invention and diagrammatically illustrated as operatively applied to a fuel spray nozzle and pressure generator.

The operation of internal combustion engmes of the Diesel type may be said to be typical of all internal combustion engmes in that the operating mechanism and attendant parts are conventional. ever, in the Diesel type of engine it is Hownecessary to force the liquid fuel into the cylinder at a constant pressure durlng its introduction with the further requirement that the pressure behind the fuel, as it is released mechanically from the spray nozzle into the cylinder, be suflicient to atomize and partially gasify the said fuel. The fuel is placed under the desired pressure by means of reciprocating, gear or rotary pumps and in the ordinary operation of a Diesel type of engine the pressure on the fuel line necessary for injecting the said fuel into the engine varies anywhere from fifteen hundred (1500) to four thousand (i-000) pounds per square inch. It is necessary that the pressure on the fuel line be greater than the air pressure so that the atomized fuel when admitted into the cylinder enters without noticeable resistance. It is furthermore requisite in engines of the multiple cylinder type that each cylinder receive an atomized fuel charge in substantially the same condition, so that one cylinder does not receive its charge in the form of a finely divided spray while an adjacent cylinder would receive a mixture in the nature of heavy globules and in a non-ignitible condition.

In detail, the construction illustrated in the drawings, includes an internal combustion engine generally designated by the numeral 1 which may consist of either a single cylinder or a multiple of cylinders. The engine cylinders are provided with the conventional mechanism (not shown) necessary to its operation. Each cylinder is provided with an intake valve unit 2 of special construction, which valve unit comprises a casing. formed with a central passage and acting as a guide housing for a needle valve 3, the tapered end of which seats in the spray nozzle 4 and, thus, regulates and controls the admission of the fuel charge into the engine cylinder. A rocker arm 5, secured to the engine "structure and synchronized in movement with the engine mechanism, is adapted to reciprocate the needle valve 3 relative to the spray nozzle 4 andto, thus, permit fuel under pressure to be discharged into the cylinder from the apertures provided in the said spray nozzle.

Fuel is carried to the passage adjacent the needle valve within the valve unit structure through a conduit 6, communicating: with check valves 7, secured to the oilreservoir l 8 of the pump 9. The pump indicated is of the reciprocating type and pressure is generated by a reciprocating movement of the plunger 10 within the pump easing into and from active contact with the fuel contained in the reservoir 8. The reciprocating pump is operated automatically and in unison with the engine and- I -do not wish. to limit myself to this form of pump as it would be clearly within the purview of this invention to utilize a gear or rotary pump in its place. Thus, in the operation of the engine, the rotation of the crank shaft (not shown) through its connecting mechanism reciprocates the pump plunger 10 and places the fluid or fuel in the system under any desirable and predetermined pressure. Fuel forced from the pump chamber 8 passes through the back pressure valve 7 into the conduit 6 and thence around the needle valve passage to a point where it may pass through the spray nozzle 4 into the cylinder. During the cycles of operation of the various suction, compression, expansion and discharge phases, the pump would be in continuous operation and upon the opening of the needle valve 3, during the suction phase, would inject or discharge a charge of atomized fuel into the engine cylinder at a pressure suflicient to produce its atomization. The interval during which the needle valve 3 remains open is of so short a duration that it sometimes happens that the ump plunger 10 is receding in its stroke rat er than compressing and as a result, one cylinder would not receive quite as big compressed and ignitible a charge of fuel as the other cylinders.

To obviate this difficulty and permit a uniform and constant pressure at all times in the system communicating the valve unit with the pressure generator, I have interposed a pressure regulating device 11 between the spray nozzle and pump mechanism. The pressure regulator device comprises a casing 11 provided with a central chamber 12 therein, said casing having an intake port 13 and. outlet ports 14 and 15, communicating with said chamber. Connection is made by the inlet port 13 through the line 16 with the pressure line 6 between the spray nozzle and pump. The outlet ports 1 14 and 15 are preferably arranged vertically relative to each other in the chamber 12 and communication is made by the same with the atmosphere through a conduit 17, discharging into a sump 18, from whence the discharge may be carried through the conduit 19 to the pump chamber 8. The lowermost outlet port 14 is tapered in cross section so that a needle valve 20, adjustably secured in the enclosing housing 21, may be seated in said discharge port so as to prevent any fluid passing from respect.

the chamber 12 through the outlet port 14 to the discharge conduit 17 The needle valve 20 is a high pressure valve intended to be substantially conventional in every It will be obvious that by adjustment of the needle valve 20 relative to the outlet 14 that the same may be opened or closed at will.

A plunger 22 is mounted within the chamber 12 so that the end 23 of said plunger will lie between and separate the inlet port 13 from the lowermost outlet port 14. The

opposite end of the plunger 22 projects from the casing 11 and suitable packing 24 is confined by the packing gland 25 withinthe enlarged chamber formed around the said plunger. A cap 26 is fixedly secured to the projecting end of the vplunger 22. A guide casing 27 is arranged concentrically relative to the axis of the plunger 22 on the casing 11. Th opposite end of the said guide member has a threaded plug 28- therein which is drilled and threaded centrally to receive the adjustable threaded shaft 29. Lock nuts 30 are provided on the exterior portion of the said shaft to eliminate its movement in either the upward or downward direction. A cap washer 32 is mounted on the reduced end of the threaded shaft 29 and a compression spring 33 is adapted to be interposed between the cap 26 and cap washer 32. The normal tendency of the spring 33 will be to expand in' prevent it moving unless through the application of a force greater than the compressive pressure exerted by the said spring. Adjustment of theshaft 29 regulates and controls the compressive force necessary to allow reciprocating of the plunger 22 within the said chamber.

Thus, the pressure regulator acts in the following manner to equalize and maintain a constant pressure on the fluid within the system next to which it is connected. At the termination of a downward stroke of the plun r 10 in the pump 9, the pressure generate in the conduit 6 and communicating conduit 16, Would force the said fluid through the inlet port 13 into the pressure regulator chamber 12 and into contact with the end 23 of the plunger 22. The pressure exerted against the said plunger will tend to elevate or raise it against the compression spring 33, therebyraising said plunger 22 a distance equivalent to the pressure exerted. Upon the reverse action of the pump plunger 10, the spring 33 expands and thus tends to force the plunger 22 into'its lowermost position within the chamber 12. Conneath the outlet port 14 if it is open, or if" it is closed, to a point slightly beneath the upper outlet port 15.

In the operation of the pressure regulator illustrated, the outlet port 14 is arran ed to discharge any pressure in excess 0t fteen hundred (1500) pounds per square inch, or if the outlet port 14 is closed, the upper outlet port 15 is arranged to discharge an pressure in excess of four thousand (4000 pounds er square inch. Where the engine is operating under full speed. or a heavy load, the four thousand (4000) pounds per. square inch pressure is necessary on the fuel line to obtain an eificient and complete atomization. Should the engine be idling or running at a low speed, the higher pressure is unnecessary,"in which case, the outlet port 14 would be opened and a pressure oi fifteen hundred (1500) pounds per square inch would be maintained on the fuel. Any of the valve units 2 that open during the downward movement of the pump plunger 10 would have fuel forced thereby into the cylinderat a higher pressure, than in the event said needle valve 3 should open during the period that the pump plunger. was receding.

The pressure regulator 11 eliminates an pulsations or pressure difierentials on the fuel by equalizing or compromising the o sition ofithe pump plunger 9 so that the pressure through the system is constant and uniform-at all times. Thus, irrespective of the point at which the needle valve may 0 en relative to the position of the pump p unger, a charge of fuel will be injected into each cylinder at a predetermined pres sure. When the needle valve 20 is turned so as to open the outlet port 14, fuel pressure in excess of fifteen hundred (1500) pounds per square inch escapes through said port, past the needle valve 20, and into the conduit 17 whence it is directed into the sump 18. Similarly, if the lower outlet port 14 1s closed, ressurein excess of four thousand (4000? pounds per square inch will be by-passed through the outlet port 15 and through conduit 17 into the sump 18. Thus, the outlet ports 14 and 15 maintain the pressure at the desired point and act as safetyvalves to by-pas any pressure in excess of predetermined pounds per square inch. Therefore, the pressure of the fuel line at any and all times is not a dangerous one should perchance the fuel line breakand the pressure he released, or on the contrary the pressure generator is unable to increase the presure above a certain point to expand or blow out the fuel line, as the outlet ports in the pressure regulator relieve any dangerous excess.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1, A. device such as described comprising a casin having a chamber therein; a member sli ably confined within said chamber; pressure packing in said chamber around said member; ports in said chamber for admitting a pressure and ports in said 2. A devicesuch as described comprising a casing having a chamber therein, said casing having spaced openings therein communicating with said chamber; a plunger slidably. confined within said chamber and covering predetermined of said openings, whereby pressure admitted through the uncovered of said openings will move said plunger relative to the covered openings; valve means for uncovering one of said covered openings; and pressure packing in said chamber around said plun er.

3. A device such as describe comprising a casing having a chamber therein, said casing having spaced inlet and outlet ports communicating with said chamber; a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in said casing chamber and closing said-outlet ports, whereby pressure admitted through said inlet-ports will move said plunger relative to said outlet ports; valve means adapted to close one of said outlet ports; pressure packing in said chamber around. said plunger; and spring means for resisting movement ofsaid plun er.

4. A device such as escribed comprisin a casing having a chamber therein, sai

casing having spaced inlet and outlet ports communicating with said chamber; a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in said casing chamber and closing. said outlet port's, whereby pressure admitted through said inlet ports will move said plunger relative to said outlet ports; valve means adapted to close one of said outlet ports; pressure packing in said chamber around said plunger; spring means for resisting move ment of said plunger; and means for regulating the tension of said spring means.

5.- A device such as described comprising a casing having a chamber therein; said casing having spaced inlet and vertically arranged outlet ports communicating with the said chamber; valve means adapted to open and close one of the said outlet ports; and a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in said casing chamber and closing said outlet ports, whereby pressure admitted through said inlet ports will move said plunger relative to Sai in said chamber around said plunger to prevent the escape of pressure.

6. A .device such as described comprising a casing having a chamber therein; said casing having spaced inlet and vertically arranged outlet ports communicating with Said chamber; valve means adapted to open chamber controlled by said member for releasing said pressure, one of said ports having a control valve thereon.

lit

outer ports and pressure packing and close one of saidoutlet ports; a plunger reoiprocatingly mounted in said casing chamber and closing said outlet ports, whereby pressure admitted through said inlet ports will move said plunger relative to said Outlet port-s; packing in said chamber around said plunger to prevent the escape oi pressure; and spring means for resisting movement of said plunger.

7. A device such as described comprising a casing having a chamber therein; said casing havin spaced inlet and vertically arranged out et ports communicating with said chamber; valve means adapted to open and close one of said outlet ports; a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in said casing chamber and closing said outlet ports, whereby pressure admitted through said inlet ports will move said plunger relative to said outlet ports; packing in said chamber around said plunger to prevent the escape of pressure; spring means for resisting movement of said plunger; and means for regulating the tension of said spring means.

8. A device such as described comprising 2 outlet ports; packing in said chamber 35 around said plunger to prevent the escape of pressure; a guide member secured to said casing; a compression spring adapted to be slidably retained in said guide member and to resist movement of said plunger and means in said guide member for regulating the compression on said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Oakland, California, this th day of January 1922.

JOHN W. LORIMER.

In presence of- RALPH A. KNAPP. 

